Machine for cutting the pile of weft-pile fabrics



Sept. 6, 1932. L BY 1,875,703

MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE FILE 0F WEFT PILB FABRICS Filed Aug. '7. 1929 6Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVNTOR P 1932- H. BYRD 1,875,703

MACHINE FORCUTTING THE FILE OF WEF'I FILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 7. 1929 6Sheets-Sheet 2 l I l '7 I a 7, v INVENTOR JWW 7) ATTORNEY P 6, 1 H L.BYRD 1,875,703

MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE FILE OF WEFT FILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 7, 1929 6Sheets$heet 5 H. L. BYRD Sept. 6, 1932..

MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE FILE OF.WEF'T FILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 7, 1929 6Sheets-Sheet 4 //VVN TOR W 7 w Z F/O M ATTORNEY P 1932- H. L. BYRD1,875,703

MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE FILE OF WEFT FILE FABRICS Filed-Aug. 7, 1929 sSheets-Shet 5 p 1 ;H. L. BYRDQ 1,875,703

MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE FILE OF WEFT PILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 7, 1929 6Sheets-Sheet 6 I I wvnvron 7 W B ATTORNEY I Patented Sept. 6, 1932UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" HUGH LINLEY BYRI), or srooxronr,ENGLANDQASSIGNOR T DREY, SIMPSON & GOM- PANY, LIMITED, or soon;rinnmsmnnms'rooxronr, ENGLAND MACHINE FOR onrrnve' THE IPILE orwnr'r-rrnn rABnIos Application filed August 7, 1929, Serial No..384,121,and in Great Britain December 24, 1928.

This invention has reference to machines for cutting the pile ofweft-pile fabrics, and it has for its object to provide an improvedmeans of mechanically supporting and controlling the knife and guide(hereaftermerely called the knife) in the machine during the cuttingoperation.

'According to the invention the knife is a supported during the cuttingoperation in a holder adapted to be moved to and fro across the machineand so arranged that when the normal pressure of the pile floats againstthe knife is diminished or increased, such as by the knife flying out ofthe floats being cut, or by the knife piercing the cloth, orby the knifeentering or being inserted into a slip of the pile instead of a racethereof, or vice versa, and also when the end of a race or slip offloats is reached or at other predetermined times, the knife isautomatically moved and the machine simultaneously stopped. v

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation, Fig. 2 is aside view and Fig. 3 is a plan illustrating one embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to the drawings, 4 indicates the side frames of the machineand 5 (Fig. 2) indicates the upper run of the cloth which during cuttingof the weft pile loops travels in the direction indicated by the arrows6. To the side frames 4 are fixed brackets 7 in which are mountedvertical posts 8 at the upper ends of which are supported transversetrack rods 9. On the track rods 9 is mounted a carriage 10 provided withwheels 10 which bear on the rods 9 so that the carriage can be traversedto and fro transversely of the machine and the cloth 5. In the carriage10 are pivoted pairs of bent or cranked side levers 11 and 12. Thelowerends of the side levers 11, 12 are pivotally connected to links 13, thelower and free ends of which are furnished with hook-like mem. bers 13to receive a cross-piece 14 on the handle of the knife 14. The upperends of the rearmost side levers 12 'carry a bowl 12 which normallyrides below a transverse weight bar 15 carried by forwardly projectingarms 16fixed on a transverserock shaft shifter and brake mechanism (notshown),

of the machine, the arrangement being such that when the bowl 12 ridesbelow the weight bar 15 the latter is held raised and the driving beltof the machine is on thefixed or driving pulley and the brake is ofl",while when the bowl 12 rides clear of the weight bar 15;t0 either side,the weight bar falls and operates the rock shaft 17 to shift the belt onto the loose pulley of themachine and simultaneously operate the brakemechanism to apply the brake and so stop the machine. The Weight bar 15is preferably partially balanced by springs 18 to avoid undue pressureof the bar against the bowl 12 and the under face of the bar ispreferably concaved to a suitable radius. The side levers 12 are actedupon by a spring 19 which tendsto draw the upper ends of the levers 11,12 towards the front of the mas chine and disengage the bowl 12 frombelow the weight bar 15 on the forward side thereof, and tomovethe lowerends of the levers 11, 12 and the knife carrying links 13 in thecontrary direction to the travel ofthe cloth'5. The tension of thespring 19 is so adjusted that the pressure of the pile floats againstblade 14 of the knife14 overcomes the spring 19 and keeps the bowl 12 inengagement with, and below, the weight bar 15. If, however, the blade14' of the knife 14 should fly out of the race or slip, the spring 19will operate the levers 11, 12 as just described to disengage the bowl12 from belowthe weight bar 15, on the forward side thereof, and soallow the bar 15 to fall and rock the shaft 17 to effect the stopping ofthe machine, and simultaneously move the knife-carrying links 13 tocarry the knife 14 in the contrary direction to the motion of the cloth5. If, while cutting the pile in the race, the blade 14 of the knife 14should be inserted into, or enter, a slip of the cloth instead of therace, the increased pressure on the knife due to the greater number ofthreads now presented to the blade, will so overcome the spring 19 as tocause the bowl 12 to ride clear of the weight bar on the rear sidethereof, when the knife-carrying links 13 will be operated to carry theknife in the direction of the motion of the cloth, and allowing theweight bar 15 to fall and operate the rock shaft 17.

If on the other hand slip cutting is intended and the knife blade 14nevertheless a be inserted into or enter a race the diminished pressureon the knife will allow the spring 19 to move the bowl 12*? to rideclear of the Weight bar 15 on the front side thereof, when theknife-carrying links 13 will be operated to carry the knife in thecontrary directionto the motion of the cloth, and the rock shaft 17 willbe operated to move the driving belt and apply the brake.

The knife employed is preferably of the type in which the blade ispivoted on a car riage, adapted to slide on or in a handle, and normallyheld in theoperative position by a catch mechanism which, when the bladepierces the cloth, is released and allows the blade to turn on its pivotand the carriage to slide on or in the handle and so withdraw the bladefrom the cloth. With such a knife, if the blade should pierce the cloth,the release of the pressure of the race of pile floats on the knife, dueto the withdrawalof the blade from the cloth, will allow the spring orsprings to actuate the mechanism of the holder to stop the machine andto carry the knife in the contrary direction to the motion of the clothin the same way in which such operations are, as described above,effected when the blade leaves the cloth.

For moving the knife clear of the cloth, concurrently with the stoppingof the machine when a complete race or slip of pile floats has been cut,or at any other time when it is desired that the operation of cuttingshould be suspended, two rods or rollers, 20,21 are provided betweenwhich the cloth passes, the cloth'as hitherto being joined at its endsto form an endless band. One at least of thetwo rollers or rods 20, 21is mounted on pivoted arms such as 22 acted upon bysprings 23, orweights which press the two rods or rollers together or the rod orroller 20 towards the other 21. The arms 22 are connected by links 24with rearwardly projecting arms 25 on a second rock shaft 26 which alsohas fixed on it forwardly projecting arms 27 carrying a stop bar 28which extends across the machine. With the stop bar 28 co-act weightedpawls 29 mounted at the upper end of a pair of release levers 3O pivotedin the wheeled carriage 10. The upper ends of the release levers 30 areconnected by slotted links 31 with the upper endsof the foremost sidelevers 11 aforesaid, and to their lower ends are attached adjustablesprings 32 anchored on the framing of the machine.

Normally the pawls 29 are kept in engagement with the stop bar 28 by thesprings 32 and the slotted links 31 permit the above de scribedoperations of the members of the knife holding mechanism withoutmovement of the release levers 30. When, however, the joint between theends of the cloth, or any other projection placed on the cloth, passesbetween the rollers 20, 21 the springsor weight pressed roller 20, isowing to the greater thickness of the joint or the projection,displaced, and its pivoted supporting arms 22 through the links 24operate the, second rock shaft 26 to move the stop bar 28 clear of thepawls 29. The springs 32 then operate the release levers 30 which,through theslotted links 31, then operate the side levers 11, 12 to movethe bowl 12 from below the weight bars thus allowing the bar 15 to falland thereby rock the shaft 17 to stop the machine, and also'carry theknife 14: forward and clear of the cloth.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is1 1. In a machine for cutting the pile of Weft pile fabrics, including aknife, means for mechanically supporting the knife during the cuttingoperation comprising a holder adapted to be moved to and fro across themachine, an operating lever for controlling the operation of themachine, a system'of' levers connected to said knife and adapted undernormal operation to engage said operating lever, said system of leversbeing adapted upon movement of the knife in either direction to releasesaid operating lever, and means for actuating said operating lever tostop the machine when released by said system of levers. 2. In a machinefor cutting thev pile of weft-pile fabrics, a knife holder according toclaim 1, including means for automatically moving the knifeclear of thecloth when the end of a race or slip of floatsis reached. 3. In amachine for-cutting the pileof weft-pile fabrics, a knife holdercomprising a wheeled carriage, mounted for movement to and fro acrossthe machine, a system of levers mounted in said carriage, means forconstraining movement. of said system of levers in one direction, a.knife-supporting element carried by said system of levers normally heldin an operative position and adapted to be moved therefrom when saidlevers are moved from normal position, a machine-controlling elementwith which said system of levers is adapted to be normally held inengagement by the pressure of the pile floats against the knife andagainst the action of said restraining means, and to be disengaged orreleased by said levers and effect the stopping of the machine, when thepressure of the pile floats is increased or reduced.

4:. In a machine for cutting the pile of weft-pile fabrics, an operatinglever for controlling the operation of the machine, a knife, means formechanically supporting the knife during the cutting operationcomprising a holder adapted to be moved transversely of the machine, asystem of levers connected to said knife and adapted under normaloperation to engage said operating lever, release levers associated withsaid system of levers for moving said system of levers to release theoperating lever, means for actuating said release levers, and means foractuating said operating lever to stop the machine when released by saidsystem of levers.

5. In a machine for cutting the pile of weft-pile fabrics, an operatinglever for controlling the operation of the machine, a knife, means formechanically supporting the knife during the cutting operationcomprising a holder adapted to be moved transversely of the machine, asystem of levers connected to said knife and adapted under normaloperation to engage said operating lever, said system of levers beingadapted upon movement of the knife in either direction to release saidoperating lever, release levers associated with said system of leversfor moving said system of levers to release the operating lever at theend of a race or slip of floats, means for actuating said operatinglever to stop the machine when released by said system of levers, andmeans for moving the knife clear of the cloth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HUGH LINLEY BYRD.

